Kelsey (Hicks) Wulf, a 2000 Lake graduate, is making a name for herself.

The fourth-year head coach is fresh off leading Evergreen to the best season in the program’s history, as the Vikings won their first ever district championship and finished with a school record 23 wins. The team’s season ended with a loss to Milan Edison in the Division III regional semifinals and Wulf has been named District 7 Coach of the Year.

In four years at the helm, Wulf has 80 wins, two league titles, four sectional titles and one district title, but remains humble about her achievements.

“The last eight or nine years have been really successful (for Evergreen volleyball). I kind of jumped in the middle of it.”

In reality, while Evergreen has won five NWOAL titles in the last ten years, Wulf has improved the team each of her four years. During her first season, she led Evergreen to a league championship and 18 wins. The second season finished with 19 wins and her third season finished with 20 wins and another league championship. Each of those three years included a sectional championship.

During this year’s 23 win season, Wulf’s team finished as the league runner-up after a five set loss to Archbold, but the team achieved much more with their aforementioned tournament run.

“The girls set a goal of winning districts and getting 23 wins. They wanted to make the season worthwhile (after the league title was out of reach). It was awesome. The girls had a sense of accomplishment and for me to be a part of it was really special.”

In addition to coaching, Wulf is in her seventh year as the sixth and seventh grade science teacher at Evergreen. Prior to being named the head varsity volleyball coach, Wulf was the seventh grade coach for three years. Before that, she coached the Eastwood High School JV team for two years.

At Lake, Wulf was a three-sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and softball. She was a two-year captain in volleyball and a one-year captain in basketball and softball. Following graduation, Wulf earned a bachelor’s in Middle Childhood Education in 2004 and a master’s in Educational Technology in 2010 – both from BGSU.

This year’s senior class at Evergreen was Wulf’s very first sixth grade class, which made this past season even more special for her. One of those seniors, Lauren Langenderfer, was named the District 7 Player of the Year in each of the past two seasons.

“I’ve had a really, really good group of seniors,” Wulf said.

Wulf also said she is becoming more accustomed to game situations as her career goes on. She feels that her knowledge in tight game situations, such as who should set the ball in crucial moments, has improved drastically. Her efforts have resulted in back-to-back District 7 Coach of the Year honors.

Despite a strong senior class that is departing, the future is bright for Wulf and Evergreen. She has six returning players next year, while the JV team went 21-1 this past year. Additionally, the freshmen team went 14-2, the eighth grade team went 19-0 and the seventh grade team went 14-4. 

“I’ve always loved volleyball. Once I got a taste of coaching, it became second nature. It gives me something to look forward to after school every single day. I love practice. I love the games. It’s just something I love to do.”

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